Cato Daily

Do FBI agents have too much free time? Cato’s Patrick Eddington has discovered that Concerned Women of America have been subjected to FBI inquiries with no claims of criminal activity. See acast.com/privacy   More

A data leak reveals thousands of potential targets of digital surveillance using software from Israeli firm NSO Group. Targets include reporters, activists, and allegedly some leading government officials. Julian Sanchez and Patrick Eddington comment.   More

Reducing social costs associated with drugs like heroin means seeking solutions beyond mere criminal enforcement.  Safe injection sites are one of these policies. Rhode Island has legalized safe injection sites, but federal hurdles remain.   More

Even some graduate degrees from elite institutions deliver few earnings benefits. Why do people get them? And how do government payoff programs make the cost of those degrees appear lower than they really are?   More

The plea bargain as it’s practiced by prosecutors has become a tool that helps pervert justice by penalizing people who seek a jury trial. Somil Trivedi of the American Civil Liberties Union is bringing a suit in Maricopa County, Arizona to challenge how the plea bargain is used.   More

The President wants to remove some barriers to shipping goods across the U.S. and among nations, but has silent about restrictions that are substantially counterproductive to Americans’ well being. Colin Grabow and Scott Lincicome explain.   More

The planned U.S. departure from Afghanistan is underway, but the Biden Administration seems reluctant to give up the authority to go back in at any moment. John Glaser comments. See acast.com/privacy   More

Brandon Valeriano argues that defense against cyberattacks means actually doing the work of hardening systems against attacks rather than issuing threats after the fact. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.   More

As the CCP marks 100 years, the party’s human rights abuses, mass slaughter of Chinese people, crackdowns on free speech, and internment camps for minorities won’t be front and center. Doug Bandow and Eric Gomez comment.   More

At some point, says Gene Healy, Congress will get around to repealing the authorization for the use of military force that has enabled so much American-led global meddling. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.   More

In AFPF v. Bonta, the Supreme Court made clearer that donors to nonprofits deserve greater privacy protection from state actors. Trevor Burrus examines the case   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.   More

A case of university led prior restraint spurred Clarence Thomas to urge his fellow justices to take up a case regarding qualified immunity. Jay Schweikert details the case. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.   More

A Florida appeals court has let cops off the hook after they arrested a woman after she recorded those cops doing their jobs. James Craven details why clarity on this issue is more important than ever.   More

Persistent aerial surveillance may make the jobs of cops easier, but it’s no solution if it endangers your rights. Matthew Feeney discusses the case of Balitmore’s aerial surveillance program. See acast.com/privacy   More

A patent case decided by the Supreme Court in June holds much larger implications for federal regulators. Thomas Berry comments. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.   More

In restricting transportation of all manner of products, the Jones Act disproportionately harms the poor and raises prices for everyone else. Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Cato’s Colin Grabow discuss the new effort to eliminate the law.   More

In the wake of an especially massive outflow of federal money, the accounting for how the money was spent is just beginning. Cato’s Will Yeatman says that we shouldn’t get our hopes up that the money was spent well.   More

The Supreme Court’s ruling against the NCAA regarding benefits paid to student athletes virtually guarantees that there will be future litigation on strikingly similar issues. The NCAA is hoping for time to change its rules.   More

Federal sentencing for drug crimes has never made sense, most especially the disparity between cocaine and crack. Kevin Ring of FAMM details how we got here. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.   More

Interrogation methods that elicit false confessions speaks to the quality of policing. Marissa Boyers Bluestine of the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Law School details the costs.   More